The news is true: nearly every early-to-mid 2000s fantasy-adjacent franchise is coming back! Whether you want it or not. Does anybody really want this?
First up, we’ve got a Harry Potter series in the works on the streamer formerly known as HBO Max. Then we’ve got yet another Lord of the Rings spinoff allegedly on the table. And who could forget the Hunger Games prequel hitting theaters this fall? Seemingly a lot of people! But why stop there, when you can cover all of the franchises that dominated the early aughts? Time to call in the big guns in the form of some sparkly vampires. Once again, Narnia remains out of the conversation, but that’s a whole other issue.
Lionsgate has announced that a series based on the hit vampire franchise Twilight will be getting the TV treatment soon. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series isn’t attached to any specific streamer and will be “shopped around” once the production company gets a writer on board. Series author Stephanie Meyer will reportedly be involved in some capacity and while it’s safe to say Robert Pattinson will not get within 100 miles of the show, that remains unconfirmed.
Jon Feltheimer, Lionsgate’s CEO, explained during an earnings call that there are “a lot more stories to be told, and we’re ready to tell them when our creators are ready to tell those stories,” referring to the series which grossed over $3 billion worldwide during its heyday.
The original series consisted of four main novels (and later two companion books) which were subsequently made into five films between 2008 and 2012. While the series was not considered what many would call “good,” it managed to launch the careers of Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, who would have never become the Batman he is today if it wasn’t for Edward Cullen. He also admits that while the movies haven’t aged well, enough time has passed that he can embrace his teenage years as a tormented vamp. In fact, we all should be embracing it. Can you imagine seeing this on the big screen in 2023? Reality would shift. Marvel wouldn’t even know how to respond.
